Juvenile courts: Oakes, Longoria, Schneider

Courts for kidsOur backing goes to Oakes, Longoria, Schneider for the family bench

Copyright 2010, HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Published 5:30 am, Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Harris County's three juvenile courts are beyond merely important. They're where the courses of thousands of young lives are set each year.

If the work of judges, probation officers and others in these courts is done well, a brush with the law may only be a bump in the road to a life of responsible citizenship. If not? Well, our prisons are filled to overflowing with examples of what can happen.

Three family law courts in Harris County handle juvenile justice matters. The 313th, 314th and 315th district courts are the bar of justice for young people aged 10 to 17. These courts deal with problems ranging from truancy, substance abuse, criminal mischief and school problems to burglary, theft, assault and gang-related activities.

We recommend the following candidates to fill these benches:

313th Family District Court:Natalie Oakes, the Democrat, is our choice to fill this open bench. Oakes, a Thurgood Marshall School of Law graduate, says she would focus on effective rehabilitation that reaches the young people coming before her court. She favors more emphasis on skills-based training, noting that "not everyone is going to college." Oakes would bring a welcome new approach to the 313th, a court that needs changing.

314th Family District Court:David Longoria, the Democratic challenger, would bring a wealth of life and professional experience to this bench. He says he would change the system of appointing attorneys and limit the number of cases given to appointees. Under the current system, he says, some attorneys don't even know who their clients are. We concur with Longoria's view that appointments in some of these courts are problematic and welcome his commitment to change that situation.

315th Family District Court: Judge Michael "Mike" Schneider, the Republican incumbent, clearly merits a return to this bench. He has shown himself to be sensitive to cost and access issues, as well as the needs of parents and families of those appearing before his court. Schneider, a Texas A&M and South Texas College of Law graduate, has been a leader and an innovator on the court. One of his priorities would be improving the training of attorneys appearing before the juvenile courts.